Electric heating system for buildings



Sept 3, 1946.

w. N. MANN ETAL 2,406,884 ELEGTRIGHEATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS v FiledMay 2, 1 944 ,2 Sheets-Sheet '1 Inventon WALTER N. MANN a? [RnzsrLnwneusou 7 B Mg WALIo H QQ l W. N. MAN-N EI'AL f- ELECTRIC HEATINGSYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Sept. 3, 1946.

Filed May 2, 1944' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In entors BENSON Attorney:

y M! hue- 1] WALTER MANN ERNEST Law Patented Sept. 3, 1946 ELECTRICHEATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Walter Noah Mann, Sutton Coldfield, andErnest Lawrenson,

Prescot, England, assignors to British Insulated Cables Limited,Prescot, England, a British company Application May 2, 1944, Serial No.533,700 In Great Britain June 7, 1943 2 Claims.

This invention relates to heatin systems for buildings of the type inwhich heat is diffused by radiation at a comparatively low temperaturefrom the surfaces of walls, ceilings or floors and to which the heat issupplied by electric heating elements in the form of long continuouslyinsulated wires distributed over the area from which radiation is totake place, with appropriate spacing and enclosed within the structure(wall, ceiling or floor) beneath the radiating surface thereof. Inaccordance with the invention an improved arrangement of such heatingmeans is provided which is simple to construct and is adaptable todifferent positions and to different forms of structure withoutinterference with architectural or decorative features.

In accordance with the invention the heating means is built up on aframe comprising two sets of bars (usually of metal) arranged at rightangles. These will be spoken of as the longitudinal and the crOssmembers. The longitudinal members are arranged at the rear. The crossmembers are attached to the front faces of the longitudinal members andthese cross members bear on their front faces clips attached (e. g. byspot welding) at intervals. In these clips a heating element is engaged,being run over the frame in an appropriate configuration so as to givesubstantially uniform distribution of the heating effect within the areaof the frame. The clips are open at the front so that the element canreadily be slipped into them, either by springing in if the clips are ofhard metal, or by opening and then folding over the metal of the clipsif they are of ductile metal. There is no threading of the elementthrough apertures. The Whole of the heating element is embedded inplaster or equivalent material so as to provide for the diffusion of theheat from the element to the radiating surface and the giving to thelatter a substantially uniform temperature. The frame thus filled may becovered with a sheet of metal or other material to provide a, surfacefinish and/or protection for the heating elements. Alternatively, eachrun of an element may be protected by an arched or angular strip ofmetal mounted on the cross members of the frame and so formed and placedaS to be capable of deflecting nails which may be driven into theplaster in which the heating element is embedded.

Some forms of construction in accordance with the invention will now bedescribed, as examples, with the aid of the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is what may be conveniently regarded as a front elevation,illustrating one form of construction, a part of the panel being shownbroken away to indicate the interior construction.

Figure 2 is an end view in elevation of Figure 1 looking in thedirection of the arrows shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the upper end of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1, but showing another form ofconstruction, parts of the panel being shown broken away.

Figure 5 is a sectional fragmentary plan taken on the line V-V of Figure4.

Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5, but with the protecting covershown in Figure 5, removed, and

Figure 7 is a plan view of the protecting cover before assembly.

Referring first of all to Figures 1-3 the electric heating element l issupported in place upon a framework, indicated generally by thereference numeral 2, by means of a series of appropriately arrangedmetal clips 3 fixed to a number of parallel cross-members 4. As will beseen from Figure 1, the heating element I is bent in such a manner as toform a number of parallel runs 5 joined at their ends by curved portions6, the clips 3 surrounding the parallel portions of the heating elementand being attached to the crossmembers 4 by spot welding.

The cross-members may consist of angles, flats or channels and in Figure1 the end cross-members l, 8 are shown as angles with a number ofintermediate cross-members consisting of flat strips 9 and a singleintermediate cross-member consisting of an angle 10. Other arrangementsof cross-members, however, may be employed, although a convenientarrangement is one in which the end members are angles as these may thenassist in locating the heating element and in giving a certain amount ofstiffness to the heating panel as a whole to facilitate its handling.

The clips 3 conveniently are attached to their cross-members by spotwelding so as to avoid ny projections between the heating element l andthe clips which would interfere with the proper seating of the elementin the clips or adequate gripping of the element by the clips. Thelatter may be made of hard metal with sides which can be readily openedto permit the entry of the heating element and then spring togetheragain to embrace the element fairly tightly. On the other hand the clips3 may be made of ductile metal having sides which can be opened and thenfolded encased.

an adjacent line of clips and so on until thewhole frame has beencovered with parallel runs of heating element spaced a few'inchesiapart.By the use of clips the necessity for threading the element throughapertures is avoided.

Where intermediate angles are used for the cross-members or for some ofthem, the clips 3 are attached to one of the sides of the angle and theother side is provided with appropriately placed slots or notchesthrough which the parallel runs of the heating element I can freelypass. In Figure 1 the angle In is shown with the clips 3 attached to theside II of the angle and the side I2 is provided with open slots I3adjacent the clips. The end angle member 8 also has a slot I4 in itsside I5 for the entry of an insulated conductor I6 whichmay be connectedto a source of supply of heating current or be connected to theheating-element of an adjacent panel or may form part of that element.The reference numeral II indicates the joint between the element I andthe insulated conductor I6.

In order to hold the cross-members together and to provide a supportingframework, they are attached to longitudinal members I8 which aredisposed at right angles to the cross-members and extend beyond them fora short distance, the portions thus extended forming lugs for theirattachment to similar longitudinal membersprovided on adjacent heatingpanels.

The cross-members 4 may be fixed directly to the longitudinal membersI8, in which case they may be fixed conveniently by spot welding. In theconstruction illustrated, however, a backboard l9 made ofheat-insulating material is interposed between the cross-members and thelongitudinal members and the cross-members and the backboard are fixedfirmly together by bolts and nuts 2I (see Figure 3), the bolts beingdisposed between the clips 3 and passing freely through holes in thecross-members in the backboard l9 and in the longitudinal members I8.The holes in the cross-members for the bolts are indicated at 22 inFigure 1.

The whole of the heating element I is embedded in plaster or equivalentmaterial so as to provide for the diffusion of the heat from the elementto the radiating surface and. the giving to the latter a substantiallyuniform temperature. A portion of this plaster is indicated at 23 inFigure 1. For the sake of clearness it has been omitted from Figures 2and 3. The plaster or other material may form the radiating surface ofthe completed panel and may be applied in the course of manufacture ofthe panel. In general, however, it will be more convenient to mount theframe in position in the wall, ceiling or floor and then place theheating element I in position and then apply the plaster or otherheat-diffusing means over the element.

After. the frame has been filled in with plaster or other heat-diffusingmaterial, a cover plate 24 may be placed over the frame to give asurface finish and/or protection for the heating element I This platemay be made of metal, for

example, and be fixed to the angle members 1, 8 at the end of the panelby screws 25 entering tapped holes in the angles. This plate will serveto protect the element against damage, for example, due to the drivingof nails into the wall, ceiling or floor after the heating panel hasbeen installed.

An alternative means for protecting the heating element I against damageis illustrated in the remaining figures of the drawings to whichreference will now be made. Each of the straight runs 5 of the heatingelement is provided with a metal covering member 25 which, as will beseen from Figure '7, consists of a curved or arched strip. The coveringmembers are held in position by inserting the edges of the strips intoslots or notches 2B (Figure 6) provided in the edge I2 of theintermediate angle I0. As will be seen from Figures 5, 6 and 7, thelongitudinal axes of the notches are inclined outwardly and the width ofthe covering member 25 before assembly is somewhat greater than thedistance between the notches 26. Each covering member thus requires tobe compressed inwards towards its longitudinal axis before it can besprung into the notches 26. Each covering member may be held in place byone or more pairs of notches andthe ends of the covering members may betapered off in the manner shown in Figure 4. The curved portions 6 ofthe heating element i are protected by short metal plates 21 whichoverlap the tapering portions of the covering members 25 and are securedto the end angles "I, 8 and to the adjacent cross-members by screws 28entering tapped holes in the end angles and adjacent cross-members. Thecovering members 25 may be of angular shape in cross-section.

In Figur 1 the frame will be filled up with plaster or otherheat-diffusing material after the heating element has been placed inposition, the element being itself embedded in the plaster. Similarly,in the construction shown in Figure 4, the heating element will beembedded in the plaster and in addition, the spaces between the elementand the covering members 25 will be filled up with plaster and thecovering members will themselves be covered with plaster. The coveringof the heating element, the filling up of the spaces between the elementand the covering members and the covering of the latter with the plastermay be carried out as part of the manufacture of the complete panel orduring installation of the panel. A portion of the plaster is shown at23 in Figure 4.

The heating element I may be of the kind described in the specificationof British Letters Patent No. 543,272.

A heating panel normally will be made for a flat surface, but can bereadily adapted for a curved or angular surface. For instance, acircular pillar may be enclosed in one or more heating panels by bendingthe cross-members through circular arcs of appropriate size andsimilarly shaping the covering plates 24 and 21. Again, if a panel is tooccupy parts of two adjacent walls, either longitudinal or cross-membersof the frame can be bent so that the frame fits into a corner of theroom. The building up of the panel can then be proceeded with in the waydescribed. In most casesa covering of plaster, tiles or other surfacingfinish will be applied over the filled panels.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. An electric heating panel suitable for installing in the floor, wallor ceiling of a building,

comprising in combination, a plurality of spaced metal longitudinalmembers, a plurality of spaced cross-members disposed in front of thelongitudinal members and substantially at right angles thereto andWelded to the longitudinal members to form a frame, the cross-membershaving fiat faces of appropriate Width directed towards the front of thepanel, metal clips Welded to those faces for opening on the front sideof the panel, an electric heating element comprising a continuouslyinsulated electric wire attached to the frame by being held in theclips, and a heatdiffusing material in Which the whole of the element isembedded.

2. An electric heating panel suitable for installing in the floor, wallor ceiling of a building, comprising in combination, metal longitudinaland cross-members disposed substantially at right angles to each otherand fixed together to form a frame, metal clips welded to thecross-members 0 on the front side thereof for opening on that side ofthe panel and forming a series of spaced substantially parallel straightrows, an electric heating element comprising a continuously insulatedelectric Wire attached to the frame by the clips and forming a series ofstraight runs joined by curved portions, the crossmembers at the ends ofthe frame and at least one of the intermediate members being angles, atleast-on of said intermediate members having notches, metal stripsdisposed in front of the straight runs of the heating element held inposition by the notches, short metal cover plates attached to theadjacent angles at the ends of the frame and disposed in front of thecurved portions of the heating element, and heat-difiusing material inwhich the heating element, metal strips and cover plates are embedded.

WALTER NOAH MANN. ERNEST LAWRENSON.

